Child Passenger Safety Partnership in Ethnic Communities

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

Macomb County is located in southeast Michigan and is the third most populated county in the state. In the last ten years, Macomb County has seen a significant increase in the number of immigrants and refugees from the Middle East. Between 2000 and 2015, approximately 22,500 international immigrants arrived in Macomb County, with most coming from Iraq, Albania and Southeast Asia. The Macomb County Health Department (MCHD) developed and delivered on-site car seat safety education programming and car seat inspections to target families with intercultural English language barriers. To reach families who may struggle with obtaining and communicating necessary information regarding car seat safety, MCHD collaborated with the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in Sterling Heights (ACCESS). The enhancement of this program is innovative in bringing education and instruction to a community location that directly serves families whom English is a second language and provides interpretation and educational materials in their native language. Child passenger safety laws can vary from state to state and are vastly different among countries around the world. This is more than an “installation” program because parents and caregivers receive education and then practice new skills to demonstrate their competence in the correct installation and use of their car seat. One-on-one education empowers parents and caregivers to transport children safely in vehicles, not only at the appointment with a certified technician, but every time they travel in a motor vehicle.